Machines That Drove the Revolution

Many brilliant inventors contributed to the rise of industry. Three British men, Joseph Bramah, Henry Maudslay and James Nasmyth, built tools to build products.

By

John Steele Gordon

Jan. 17, 2015 1:04 a.m. ET

By

John Steele Gordon

Jan. 17, 2015 1:04 a.m. ET

Before the late 18th century, machine parts were made by hand, and no two were alike. For instance, a bolt was manufactured on a treadle-powered lathe by a workman holding a cutting instrument and moving slowly up the bolt as the lathe turned, forming the thread. Nuts were a challenge, for it was very difficult to get the pitch (the angle of the thread) of both nut and bolt to match exactly. Once a nut was produced that would work on a particular bolt, they were carefully paired.